Builder motion



G. S. WISE, JR

BUILDER MOTION Aug. 21, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 29, 1960 LIL i IIIllIIIIIIII'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIU Um INVENTOR. GEORGE SPENCE WISE ,JR.

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Aug. 21, 1962 e. s. WISE, JR

BUILDER MOTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 29, 1960 FIG-3- III INVENTOR. GEORGE SPENCE W|SE,JR.

United States Patent 3,049,859 BUILDER MOTION George Spence Wise, .112, Union, S.C., assignor to Deering Milliken Research Corporation, Spartanburg, S.C., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 29, 1950, Ser. No. 25,677 11 Claims. (CI. 57-99) This invention relates to an improved builder motion for roving frames, and particularly for roving frames of the English builder type.

In the art of forming roving packages it is advantageous to form a package which has as large a content of roving as possible with a given package diameter, base length for the build, and number of traverse strokes of the build. In a copending application of Early D. Jones and Grady H. Sanders, S.N. 25,792, filed April 29, 1960, it is proposed to increase the poundage and yardage in a roving package produced on an English builder by modifying the two-bar cam bracket to provide oppositely convexly curved internal cam surfaces permitting a selected varying lost motion between the cam bracket and the poker bar to thereby modify the package build. In this Jones and Sanders application there is disclosed a modified cam bracket for forming convex ended roving package, which has greater poundage and yardage than a corresponding straight tapered ended package as formed on a conventional English builder of the prior art.

The present invention is an improvement over the Jones and Sanders invention in that a roving package is formed which has convexly tapered ends at the beginning of the build and which has substantially straight ends after a desired lesser slope angle (with respect to the package axis) is reached. Thus, a package is formed with a greater slope angle than conventional at the beginning of the build cycle, and this slope angle is gradually decreased (thereby effecting convex ends on the package at the beginning of the build) until a given reduced slope angle is reached, and this reduced slope angle is then substantially constant from this point to the end of the build. By thus forming a convex curvature at the beginning of the build a package is formed which with a given base length has increased effective length in all other layers of the build, as compared to a conventional straight tapered ended roving package, and in this respect this invention is similar to and incorporates the basic feature of the above mentioned Jones and Sanders invention, as set forth in said copending application. However, the present invention is an improvement over this copending application of Jones and Sanders in that a still further increase in the package content is effected by maintaining the slope angle substantially constant from a point where the slope angle of the convex curve reaches a desired reduced value. Thus, whereas in the arrangement as disclosed in the copending Jones and Sanders application the slope angle continues to be decreased in the latter stages of the build until the end of the build is reached, according to the present invention the slope angle is no longer decreased after the slope angle is reduced to a selected predetermined value.

The particular increase in the original slope angle and the radius of convex curvature, as well as the particular slope angle at which the convex curve is changed to a substantially straight line tangential thereto is dependent upon the particular roving material being processed. However, as an illustrative example of a practical application of the present invention, a Platt roving frame having an English type builder has been modified to form a roving package of cotton roving with an original slope angle at the base of the build of the order of 51 degrees,

.the radius of curvature of the convex end portion being 10 /8 inches and a subsequent substantially straight end portion having a slope angle of approximately 40 degrees. The roving package in this instance had a base length of 12 inches formed on a bobbin of 2 inches diameter, and an external package diameter of 6 /2 inches. This improved package weighed 4.47 pounds as compared to a conventional package having straight tapered ends at a slope of 40 degrees and weighing 4.0 pounds. This represents an increase of .47 pound or 8.5 percent over the package formed on the conventional English builder. It also represents an increase over the poundage eifected with a fully convex ended roving package having a corresponding beginning slope angle for the radius of convex curvature and including a convex curvature also at the terminal end of the build.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment constructed in accordance therewith, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic view in perspective, illustrating a preferred embodiment according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a rear view in perspective of the conventional connection between the poker bar and the poker bar cradle.

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation view of the two-bar cam bracket per se according to the invention and as employed in the arrangement of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is an outline schematic illustration of a completed bobbin package formed according to the present invention, also illustrating in broken lines for comparison the generally straight tapered ends of a roving package formed with a conventional English or Platt builder arrangement.

Referring now to the figures of the drawings, as in the conventional Platt or English build roving frame a bobbin traverse rail or carriage 11 carrying a plurality of suitably rotatably driven bobbin holding bolsters 13 is reciprocated in a vertical path by an upstanding rack 15 secured thereto, the rack being reciprocated through the medium of a gear train 17, including a pinion gear 17a meshing with the rack 15, and a reversible clutch arrangement '19. The reversible clutch arrangement 19 conventionally includes a bevel drive gear 21 and a pair of alternately intermeshing bevel gears 23 and 25 fixed on a drive shaft 27, the drive gear 21 being driven by a motor M as through a suitable mechanical connection indicated generally at 29. Intermittent reversing of the reversible clutch 19 is elfected through the medium of a reversing rod 31 and reversing lever 33. The reversing lever 33 is suitably pivotally mounted, and pivotal movement thereof elfects selected engagement of one of the gears 23 and 25 with the bevel drive gear 21, this in turn reversing the direction of rotation of the drive shaft 27 upon which they are mounted and which imparts movement through the gear train 17 to the rack 15.

The reversing lever 33 is pivoted first in the one direction and then in the other, each reversal taking place at the end of the desired traverse movement of the bobbin rail or carriage 11. T is intermittent pivotal movement of the reversing lever 33 and consequent reversing of the reversing clutch 19 is effected through the medium of a tumbler bracket 35 which is oscillated in alternate directions about a shaft 37 on which it is loosely mounted, each alternate oscillation being effected at each end of the traverse stroke of the bobbin rail of carriage 1'1. Also mounted for free oscillated movement on the shaft 37 is a poker bar cradle 39 which is rocked back and forth by a poker bar 40 slidably mounted in a pair of lugs 41 formed on the rear of the cradle 39, as shown more particularly in FIGURE 2. Angular'movement of the poker bar 40 and the poker bar cradle 39 about the axis of shaft 37 is effected through the medium of a cam bracket 75, commonly known as a two-bar bracket, which engages with a pair of follower rollers or lugs 40b mounted or formed on the end of the poker bar 40. For the purposes of this application, the follower rollers or lugs 4% will be considered as a pant of the poker bar 40.

The cam bracket 75 is suitably secured to and vertically moved in synchronisin with the reciprocable carriage 11 as by a connecting bracket 47. Thus, the reciprocating traverse movement of the carriage 1*1 imparts an angular movement to the poker bar 40 and poker bar cradle 39 about the axis of shaft 37. Upon the poker bar and poker bar cradle moving through a predetermined selected angle, either clockwise or counterclockwise, one of two trip screws 49a, 491) on the poker bar cradie 39 will engage with and disengage a corresponding one of two spring biased holding pawls 51a, 51b which alternately serve to hold the tumbler bracket 35 in clockwise and counterclockwise oscillated positions. For example, in the position of the elements as shown in FIG- URE 1 the pawl 51!) is holding the tumbler bracket 35 in the counterclockwise position, and the reversing lever 33 is held in its clockwise movement position to thereby effect downward movement of the rack and traverse carriage 11. This likewise effects downward movement of the cam bracket '75 and clockwise angular movement of the poker bar 44} and poker bar cradle 3? as viewed in FIGURE 1. When the poker bar and poker bar cradle reach a selected predetermined angular position the trip screw 49b will disengage the pawl 51b from the lug on the top of the tumbler bracket. The tumbler bracket will then be oscillated in a clockwise direction under the influence of a weight 53b which is then fully engaged with and biasing the tumbler bracket 35 in the clockwise direction. As in the conventional arrangement a weight relieving cradle lever 55 is suitably connected for angular movement with the bobbin carriage about a pivot 57 in order to effect alternate relieving of the action of the weights 53a and 53!) on the tumbler bracket 35. Thus, in the illustrated position of the elements, the weight 53a is raised out of effective biasing position on the tumbler bracket 35 during downward movement of the bobbin carriage 11, while the weight 53b is permitted to bias the tumbler bracket in the counterclockwise direction. At the lower end of travel of the bobbin carriage 1 1 the weight 53a will be raised upwardly to relieve its force from the tumbler bracket 35, and the weight 5312 will be released to exert a clockwise bias force on the tumble-r bracket. The opposite action then takes place at the upper end of the traverse movement of the bobbin carriage 1 1, permitting the tumbler bracket to be biased and moved in the counterclockwise direction upon tripping of the pawl 51a by the corresponding trip screw 49a. As

will be seen, the tumbler bracket 35 has a stud 59 fixed to and extending from an extension at its lower end, the reversing lever being engageable with and movable with this stud 59 as a function of oscillating movement of the tumbler bracket.

The extent of travel of the bobbin carriage ll between each succeeding pair of directional reversals thereof is a function of the length of the poker bar 4% from its pivot axis to the point of engagement thereof with the two-bar cam bracket 75. In the conventional English or Pl-att builder motion the twobar cam bracket has a constant width longitudinal slot formed therein with substantially parallel upper and lower longitudinally extending roller engaging surfaces. Thus, in the conventional Platt or English builder arrangement, by shortening the effective length of the poker bar from its pivot axis to the point of engagement with the two-bar bracket the length of traverse of the bobbin carriage will be shortened on each succeeding traverse stroke by a predetermined constant amount which is a direct and constant function of the incremental extent of shortening of the poker bar for each traverse. This incremental shortening of the effective length of the poker bar is effected, as in the conventional arrangement, through the medium of an escapement including a torque exerting weight 61 and capstan 63, which imparts a unidirectional torque to a ratchet Wheel 65 fixed on the shaft 37, and a pair of pivotally mounted escapement pawls 67a, 6715, each of which is resiliently biased toward engagement with the ratchet wheel 65 through the medium of an interconnecting tension spring 69. Secured on the stud 59 extending from the extension of the tumbler bracket is a pawl release bracket 71 which is disposed between the two pivotally mounted pawls 67a, 67b. The intermittent oscillation of the tumbler bracket 35 at the end of each traverse stroke of the bobbin carriage 11 effects the movement of one of the pawls 67a, 67b out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 65 through corresponding internnttent oscillation of the pawl release bracket 71 on the stud and permits movement of the other pawl into engagernent therewith, thereby permitting a small incremental one-tooth movement of the ratchet wheel 65 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 1. The shaft 37 has secured thereon at its opposite end a pinion 73 meshing with rack teeth formed on the poker bar 4'8, and the intermittent incremental movement of the ratchet wheel 65 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 1 will effect a correseponding intermittent movement of the poker bar 40 by an incremental amount to the left as viewed in this FIGURE 1, thereby shortening the effective length of the poker bar 4-0 from its pivot axis to the point of contact with the two-bar cam bracket 75.

According to the present invention the conventional builder motion apparatus of the English or Platt builder frame is employed in conjunction with an improved twobar cam bracket 75 to effect the build of a roving package P which has convex ends P at the beginning of the build and which has substantially straight tapered ends P (see FIGURE 4) along the latter portion of the build. The configuration of the cam slot 77 formed in the two interconnected spaced apart cam plates 79 of the two-bar bracket 75 of one embodiment may be seen from FIG- URES 1 and 3, wherein it will be noted that the begin ning end portion 77a of the cam slot 77 is parallel sided in the conventional manner to accommodate with substantially no vertical lost motion the horizontal translatory movement of the poker bar follower rollers 4612 during the angular movement of the poker bar in fol lowing the cam bracket '75 in its vertical path. The initial position of the power bar rollers 4% in the cam slot 77 is preferably at the left hand extremity of this initial parallel sided portion 77a of the slot when the bobbin carriage 11 begins its vertical movement at the extreme end of its initial traverse, and the length of the parallel sided slot portion 77a need normally be only sufficiently long to accommodate the horizontal translatory movement of the poker bar rollers 40b toward the right and then toward the left as the poker bar 40 moves in its angular path following the vertical movement of the cam bracket 75 and bobbin carriage 11 on the initial traverse. Thus, on the initial traverse of the bobbin carriage 11 the length of the traverse may correspond to the traverse which would normally be effected with the conventional builder arrangement.

According to the present invention, however, the cam slot 77 is formed so that subsequent traverse strokes are lengthened over those which would be effected by a conventional straight sided cam slot. This lengthening of the build stroke is effected by forming the cam surface 77 to permit a gradually increased vertical lost motion between the cam bracket 75 and the poker bar during the first portion of the build so as to form convexly tapered ends P on the package P, and by maintaining the amount of increased lost motion substantially constant from an intermediate point P in the build, preferably at the point where the convex curvature reaches a selected angle of slope wi'fh respect to the longitudinal axis of the package, onto the end of the build. This is in accordance with my finding that the slope angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the package may be greater at the beginning of the build than the maximum slope angle which may be formed at the end of the build without causing any noticeable increased sloughing tendency. Thus the slope angle may be increased at the beginning of the build to a value substantially greater than is conventional with a straight tapered ended package, and then gradually decreased to a lesser slope at an intermediate point in the build, this lesser slope then being maintained substantially constant to the end of the build. The angle of constant terminal slope is preferably the maximum slope angle which may be formed Without causing undesirable sloughing tendency in the outer layer or layers for the particular roving being wound, and may thus correspond for instance to the angle of slope which would be employed for the entire end surface P of a straight tapered ended package of a given roving.

In effecting this end, the cam surface 77 has a gradually increasing width along the initial and intermediate effective portion 77b of its length, and the configuration of this section 77b is convex so as to form smooth convex tapered end portions P at the axially outer ends of the package as shown in FIGURE 4. From an intermediate point 771 of the cam surface Where the curved portion 77b becomes parallel to the longitudinal center line of the cam the upper and lower cam surfaces 770 are maintained substantially straight and parallel on out to the effective end 77d of the cam, and thus permit a substantially constant amount of vertical lost motion between the cam bracket 75 and the poker bar 40, to thereby maintain the terminal portion P of the package ends substantially straight and at a substantially constant slope angle.

Although the cam surface 77 is illustrated with substantially no extra room at each end of its length it may sometimes be desirable to form either or both of the left and right hand ends somewhat longer than the theoretical traverse length for the follower rollers in order to accommodate improper setting or operation of the builder mechanism.

While from a theoretical standpoint it may appear desirable to offset one of the upper or lower cam surfaces with respect to the other in the direction of the longi tudinal center line of the cam (i.e. horizontally) in order to effect fully symmetrical package ends, such has not' been found necessary from a practical standpoint due particularly to the very small increment of change (e.g. approximately 0.1 inch) of the poker bar length at the end of each succeeding build stroke. For this reason, the cam has been shown schematically with both the upper and lower cam surfaces substantially identically disposed along the length of the longitudinal center line of the cam bracket. It will be understood, of course, that if one should so desire, the upper and lower cam surfaces may be displaced with respect to each other along the longitudinal center line by an amount equal to the incremental change of the poker bar length at the end of a build stroke. For instance, if the build is started with the bobbin rail 11 at the bottom of its traverse the lower cam surface would be shifted to the left by an amount equal to the effective displacement of the poker bar rollers as a result of the incremental shortening of the poker bar effective length at the end of each build stroke, and vice versa if the build is started with the bobbin rail 11 at the upper end of its travel. However, as mentioned above, while such precision may be desirable from a theoretical standpoint it has not been found to be necessary to provide such a longitudinal offset of the cam surfaces in order to practice the invention in a practical operation.

Further, the illustrative embodiment has been shown with the cam 75 designed for horizontal setting of the imaginary line from the poker bar pivot axis to the center of the poker bar follower rollers when the bobbin rail is positioned with the roving fiyer presser feet at the center of the bobbin traverse extent. In some instances, particularly with English type builder frames of the Platt make, it is customary to set the builder motion with the poker bar itself horizontal when the presser feet are at this center position. In such instances it will be advantageous to offset the lower cam surface of the cam bracket 75 toward the terminal end (i.e. toward the left as viewed in FIGURES 1 and 3) slightly in order to compensate for the lateral offset of the poker bar per so from its pivot axis and thereby form a desired full sized roving package symmetrical at the opposite ends.

It will be understood that minor modifications and improvements may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of my invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited to the precise embodiment illustrated herein, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, that which is claimed 1s:

-1. In a roving frame having a rotatable flyer and a bobbin carriage and an English type builder motion with an angularly movable traverse-reversing and traverselength-controlling poker bar, a poker bar cam vertically movable as a function of the relative traversing position of said fiyer and bobbin carriage, and being arranged in angular driving relation to said poker bar, and means for shortening the efiective length of said poker bar from its pivot to the point of engagement with said cam, the improvement comprising a poker bar cam having a pokerbar-moving cam surface which forms adjacent opposite ends thereof two substantially straight cam face portions laterally offset with respect to one another and with an intermediate sloped cam face portion connecting said two offset cam face portions.

2. The improvement according to claim 1 wherein said poker bar cam has two spaced apart cam surfaces of similar shape and facing in laterally opposite directions.

3. In a roving frame having a rotatable flyer and a bobbin carriage and an English type builder motion with an angularly movable traverse-reversing and traverselength-controlling poker bar, a poker bar cam vertically movable about a pivot axis as a function of the relative traversing position of said flyer and bobbin carriage, and being arranged in angular driving relation to said poker bar, and means for shortening the effective length of said poker bar from its pivot axis to the point of engagement with said cam, the improvement comprising a poker bar cam having a cam face extending generally laterally adjacent the longitudinal center line of said cam, the effective cam portion adjacent one end of said face being substantially straight and parallel with said center line, and the effective cam portion of the opposite end being substantially straight and parallel with said center line but laterally offset further from said center line than said cam portion adjacent said one end, and an intermediate cam portion of said cam face inclined with respect to said center line and connecting said offset parallel cam portions.

4. The improvement according to claim 3 wherein said intermediate cam portion is arcuate.

5. The improvement according to claim 3 wherein said intermediate cam portion connects with each of said offset parallel end portions in a smooth substantially continuous reverse curve.

6. The improvement according to claim 3 wherein said cam includes two of said cam faces oppositely facing and of similar shape.

7. The improvement according to claim 6 wherein said poker bar cam is a plate member having an internal longitudinally extending slot formed therein, the opposite latcfaral side walls of said slot forming said opposing cam aces.

8. The improvement according to claim 3 wherein said first mentioned straight-sided cam portion is disposed further away from said poker bar pivot axis than said last mentioned straight-sided cam portion.

9. A builder motion for a roving frame comprising a vertically movable bobbin carriage, a poker bar, traversereversing means for said bobbin carriage, means for varying the effective length of said poker bar, said poker bar being operatively connected in controlling relation to said traverse-reversing means, and a variable lost-motion connection between said poker bar and said carriage, said variable lost-motion connection comprising a poker bar engageable cam having two oppositely facing cam surfaces at least one of which cam surfaces forms adjacent opposite ends thereof two substantially straight cam face portions laterally offset with respect to one another and with an intermediate sloped cam face portion connecting said two ofiset cam face portions.

10. A roving frame poker bar cam bracket comprising a plate having a pair of oppositely facing longitudinally extending cam surfaces adapted to be engaged by the effective end of a poker bar, said cam surfaces being substantially parallel and spaced apart a substantially constant distance along a length adjacent one end of said cam surfaces and being substantially parallel and spaced apart by a different substantially constant distance along a length thereof adjacent the opposite longitudinal end of said cam surfaces, and each of said oppositely facing cam surfaces having an intermediate sloped cam face portion connecting the respective two said substantially constantly spaced-apart portions of said cam surfaces formed adjacent said opposite ends.

11. A roving frame poker bar cam bracket according to claim 10 wherein said bracket includes two connected spaced-apart plates having substantially identical cam surfaces formed thereon and disposed in laterally side-byside regisn'y with one another.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 408,842 Mitchell Aug. 13, 1889 905,049 Berard Nov. 24, 1908 1,647,535 McKean Nov. 1, 1927 1,842,565 Owen June 26, 1932 1,911,864 Wegmann May 30, 1933 2,034,581 Keyser Mar. 17, 1936 2,096,316 Beran Oct. 19, 1937 2,841,949 Leutert July 8, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 139,061 Australia Oct. 17, 1950 496,879 Germany Apr. 28, 1930 809,192 Great Britain Feb. 18, 1959 

